Beverage containers, sometimes referred to as “travel mugs” have become popular in recent years for use in vehicles or in other applications for users who like to drink when in motion, such as when walking or riding in a vehicle. The lids used with beverage containers are typically removable and designed to permit drinking from the reservoir in the container base, while, at the same time, inhibiting accidental spillage of the type which might result from the sloshing of the liquid contents.
Some beverage container lids have manual controls, such as a push button control, where simple actuation of the control can cause the lid to be in an open condition, to allow the liquid to flow through the lid so the user can drink, or a closed condition to cause the liquid to be sealed inside the container so accidental spills can be avoided. Known lid designs include a spring loaded cartridge having a toggle mechanism, whereby alternate pushes of the push button respectively cause a plunger valve to toggle between an open and closed condition.
There are several known disadvantages associated with known push button lids. For example, the drink passages inside known lid designs are inaccessible and therefore difficult to clean. While some designs may permit manual disengagement of some components, such as disengaging the lid from the base, when the components are disengaged, the walls of the drink passage remain substantially inaccessible. These known push button lids could be rendered unusable as residue from sugars, syrups or the like continue to build in the drink passage and cause the moveable components to stick.
Another disadvantage associated with known push button lids is that the plunger valve may be difficult to open when the container holds carbonated or hot beverages. This is due to pressure build-up from such beverages, which results in force acting against the plunger valve, and causing the valve to resist being moved towards an open condition.
The present device solves these and other problems associated with prior art devices.